Ergonomic hair brush

ABSTRACT

An ergonomic tangle free hair brush having an integrally attached handle and brush head. The handle is shaped for comfort when being used by a hairstylist. It is generally formed as a surface of revolution and is coated with a soft covering having good gripping characteristics. The brush head is spool shaped to be of a concave surface or revolution having enlarged ends. The surface of hair engaging portion of the brush head contains many bristle sites. These sites may be formed to yield a spiral shaped row of bristles. The adjacent rows of bristles are off set from the previous row to provide maximum contact with the hair being brushed. Each site has two different types of bristles emanating therefrom. The surface of the concave brush surface may be coated with a colour changing thermochromic material. The end of the brush head remote from the handle is flat, producing a natural resting surface for the is brush when not in use.

This application relates to a hairbrush which has a shape that when combined with a selected bristle combination and placement improves the grooming characteristics of the brush over known brushes of the prior art.

The bristles of the brush described herein are a combination of double pinned nylon bristles which are the longest bristles in the brush head and are arranged in rows preferably forming a spiral arrangement on the brush head. Surrounding the double pinned nylon bristles at each site in each row is a series of shorter bristles of a different type whose function it is to groom the hair in a particular manner for a hair treatment operation.

In this instance, the disclosure describes two different types of shorter bristles which surround the longer doubled pinned nylon bristles. The shorter bristles of a first type surround the double pinned nylon bristles in a first row, and the shorter bristles of a second type are made to surround the double pinned nylon bristles of the next adjacent row.

Each such row always contains double pinned nylon bristles which have a length such that the outer ends lie in the surface of a right cylinder. These rows alternate preferably in a spiral fashion over a brush surface that is described to be concave, so that the entire bush head surface is covered with rows of bristles arranged (in this instance) in spiral fashion. Each row of bristles is staggered so that the bristles of each row are offset from each other to ensure excellent engagement with hair being treated. The surface of the brush head containing the bristle sites may be coated with a suitable colour changing thermochromic material to indicate to the brush user the temperature of the surface of the hair brush barrel in which the bristles are held.

The surface of the hair brush head is therefore concave and is preferably that of a surface revolution in which the central portion has a minimum diameter so as to be a concave surface. The smooth concave surface is interrupted at the ends to define a sharply rising surface at each end of the brush head which is enlarged so as to prevent hair tangling when the operator is performing a hairstyling operation. The end of the brush remote from the handle is designed to be flat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The combination of bristle selection combined with the shape of the barrel provides a hair brush with superior hair grooming characteristics. Coupled with this, the barrel of the brush may be coated with a thermochromic material to indicate the temperature of the brush barrel. This combination provides the hairstylist with a balanced brush which is easy to use and has excellent hair grooming qualities which generally avoids hair tangles to which prior art brushes are subject.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective of the brush of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the brush of this invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of the brush bristle-barrel surface of the brush of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, a brush 10 of the prior art is shown having a handle 12 and brush head 14. Here bristles 16 are shown protruding through apertures in cylindraceous surface 18 of brush head 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the hair brush 100 of this invention is illustrated. Here a brush handle 112 is shown being integrally attached to brush head 114. Brush handle 112 is generally covered with a soft high friction material. Bristles 116 (hard nylon) protrude from bristle sites 118 in the surface of brush head 114. Similarly, bristles 116 also protrude from the brush head alternate sites 140.

Note that the bristle sites 118 and 140 are staggered so that there will be a maximum contact with the strands of hair being first separated by the long (nylon) bristles 116. Each bristle site always gives rise to at least one long (nylon) bristle which is surrounded by short bristles of a specific type. Sites in each row are offset with sites of adjacent rows.

Handle 112 decreases in diameter at 122 and brush head 114 enlarges to form anti-tangle rings 124, 126 at each end of concave surface of revolution 128. It will be quite evident that the anti-tangle end rings are formed to be separate from the concave surface 128; there being a definite step in the surface topography shown at conical ring surface 130.

Referring specifically to FIG. 3, it will be seen that bristle sites 118 and 140 have been shown to illustrate the various positions of bristles. Each of the bristle sites 118 and 140 always has at least one long bristle 116 (nylon) projecting therefrom. The bristle sites 118 and 140 are staggered with respect to each other so as to provide the maximum contact with the locks of hair being treated on brush 100.

Each of bristle sites such as 120 also supports short bristles (white boar) 120 as well as long (nylon) bristles 116. Each of the bristle sites 140 supports at least one long (nylon) bristle 116 as well as short black (boar) bristles 142. In this manner, brush 100 may be used to straighten hair, or it may be used to shine hair.

This brush is ergonomic, that is the handle 112 is shaped to feel comfortable in the hand of the user and the balance provided by the large brush head 114 makes the brush feel “good” to the user.

There are many advantages to this brush. First the combination of bristles 116, 120 and 142 produces a superior hair grooming performance. The long nylon bristles 116 provide an extended length of the brush head bristles so that hair may be conveniently separated and wrapped on brush head 14 because of early contact with the long stiff nylon bristles 116. The hair being groomed is then contacted by bristles 120 or 142. These bristles serve to either “shine” the hair being contacted (white boar bristles 120) or the gripping bristles (black boar bristles 142) which are useful in straightening hair.

The shape of the brush head, the concave surface 128 which may be coated with a thermochromic colour changing material is a handy reference to indicate surface temperature of the brush head. The rows of bristles may be spiraled (not shown) and in any event, the bristles of different types are staggered to provide maximum contact with the hair being groomed.

The ends of the brush head are enlarged to prevent tangling of the hair, as prior art brushes are prone to do. With this brush, it is almost impossible to wrap hair being groomed around the end of the brush.

Because the end of the brush is flat, there is a natural tendency to place the brush on its head end when not in use. This provides a convenient storage mode for the brush.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that the modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the dependent claims. 

1. An ergonomic hair brush comprising a handle and a brush head integrally joined together, said handle being of the shape of an elongated cylinder, said handle being covered with a soft material, said brush head being in the shape of a spool having a central concave brush surface which is provided with a plurality of rows of bristle sites having bristles protruding therefrom, said concave brush surface intersecting a more steeply rising conical surface at each end of the brush head to form enlarged ends of said brush head.
 2. An ergonomic hair brush as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rows of bristle sites are formed of individual bristle sites, each site having two different types of bristles protruding therefrom.
 3. An ergonomic hair brush as claimed in claim 2 wherein a first row of bristle sites contains an elongated nylon bristle surrounded by a plurality of a first type of shorter bristles, and the row of bristle sites adjacent said first row contains an elongated nylon bristle surrounded by a second type of shorter bristle.
 4. An ergonomic hair brush as claimed in claim 3 wherein the bristle sites of adjacent rows are staggered.
 5. An ergonomic hair brush as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surface of said brush head is coated with a preselected thermochromic material.
 6. An ergonomic hair brush wherein the end of the brush head remote from the handle is flat.
 7. An ergonomic hair brush comprising a handle and a brush head integrally joined together, said hair brush being in the general shape of a spool with central concave surface which is formed into enlarged ends, and where in the said brush head contains at least two different types of bristles, wherein a first type of bristle is an elongated stiff bristle, the ends of which lie in the surface of a right cylinder.
 8. The ergonomic hair brush of claim 7 wherein ends of the elongated stiff bristles lie in the surface of a right cylinder having the diameter approximating the diameter of said enlarged ends.
 9. The ergonomic hair brush of claim 7 wherein said first type of bristle is surrounded by bristles of a second type, wherein said second type bristle is substantially shorter than said elongated stiff bristle.
 10. An ergonomic hair brush of claim 7 wherein each elongated bristle emanates from sites arranged in rows.
 11. An ergonomic hair brush of claim 10 wherein a first row of sites contains at least one stiff bristle surrounded by shorter bristles of a second type.
 12. An ergonomic hair brush of claim 11 wherein an adjacent row of bristle sites is offset with respect to said first row and each site in the adjacent row contains at least one elongates stiff bristle surrounded by shorter bristles of a third type.
 13. The ergonomic hair brush of claim 7 wherein the end of the brush head remote from the handle is flat. 